St Mary de Crypt

Although built upon the site of an earlier Norman church, the only remaining features of that building are some arches in the blocked up part of the crypt.

Adjacent to the church is one of the few remaining Tudor Schoolrooms in the country. It was opened in 1539 and was the first free Grammar School in the city, operating on this site for 320 years. The church is famous for George Whitfield a great 18th century Evangelist. He was baptised in the church and preached his first sermon in the Pulpit there, with such dynamism that it is recorded that people were almost ‘driven to madness!’ George is credited with taking Methodism to America which eventually spread worldwide.

Another famous son was Robert Raikes. He was born in 1736, was baptised in the church and educated in the Crypt School. He later inherited the Gloucester Journal, and through this medium became instrumental in the spread of the Sunday School movement that spread throughout the world.

The church bell tower houses eight fine bells produced by the famous Rudhall family. The first six were installed in 1710 and the last two, some forty years later.

There are two medieval wall paintings in the chancel, one is in quite poor condition, but the other depicts the Adoration of the Magi. The church boasts a fine memorial by Peter Scheemacher who was responsible for eleven of the sculptures in Westminster Abbey.

Buried in the church along with many other Gloucester worthies is James ‘Jemmy’ Wood, the notoriously mean Gloucester banker, who was the inspiration for Charles Dickens' Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.